8 Phobias That Are Guaranteed To Make You Feel Uncomfortable

Scopophobia is the intense fear of being stared at or having attention on you. It can also be called scoptophobia or ophthalmophobia. The fear can vary from sufferer to sufferer depending on how severe - some may only become paranoid if a stranger engages eye contact for a prolonged amount of time whilst others cannot even look their friends or family in the eyes. It is primarily an anxiety disorder and can create an extreme uncomfortable feeling for the person who suffers with it.

The fear can also take the form of any activity in which attention is drawn on to the person, including taking a picture with someone or just being noticed on the everyday commute to work. It can also be triggered in social events when the conversation or attention turns to the sufferer in question, whether positive or negative.

A large amount of the population may feel slightly uncomfortable if someone across the seats on the tube seems to be looking in their direction for a long time. However, scopophobia sufferers may feel so anxious to the point of sweats, hyperventilation and increased heart rate, to extreme measures where they may not want to step outside at all.